Mining and loading machine



March 7, 1961 Filed Aug. 2l, 1957 N. W. DENSMORE MINING AND LOADING MACHINE SMSheets-Sheet 1 EYZZ 2 q2 ,l

/4 7' TGR/VE Y- March 7, 1961 N. w. DENSMORE MINING AND LOADING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 2l, 1957 IMM:

March 7, 1961 N. w. DENsMoRE MINING AND LOADING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 21, 1957 J u u u n a u y u L w GAK March 7, 1961 Filed Aug. 2l, 1957 N. w. DENsMoRE 2,973,949

MINING AND LOADING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 SMmm-a,

ATTORNEY.

States MINING AND LOADING MACHINE Filed Aug. 21, 1957, Ser. No. 679,398

7 Claims. (Cl. 262-9) This invention relates to mining apparatus and more particularly to an improved mining and loading machine for dislodging mineral from a solid minevein and for loading out the dislodged mineral. Y

The present invention relates to improvements over those of the Arthur Lee Barrett Patents Numbers 2,776,809 and 2,776,823, granted January 8, 1957, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.4V The apparatus of this invention embodies improved mechanism for dislodging and disintegrating the mineral of a solid mine vein and improved floor cleanup and conveyor means operatively associated with the dislodging and disintegrating mechanism for receiving the dislodged and disintegrated mineral and for conveying the mineral received thereby rearwardly of the apparatus. The improved structure and arrangement of parts of the present invention results in a machine which is extremely low in height, well adapted to use in low vein mining work.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved mining apparatus whereby the mining operations are effected in a more etiicient manner. Another object is to provide an improved dislodging and disintegrating 2,973,949 Patented Mar. 7, 1961 Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on the planes of lines 5-5 of Fig. 2, showing the improved conveying means.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section taken in the planes of line 6 6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross section taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 2, illustrating structural details. y

Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross section taken on line 8 8 of Fig. l, showing portions of the head elevating and conveying means.

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are schematic cross sections taken through a mine vein showing different operating positions of the dislodging and disintegrating head Fig. 12 is an enlarged vertical section taken through the working face showing the face at the completion of the horizontal cut.

Figs. 13, 14, and 15 are diagrammatic plan views with the mine vein in horizontal section showing dilerent positions of the machine in a mine.v

The improved mining and loadingrnachine, as shown in the drawings, generally comprises a mobile basel having a frame 2 carrying a horizontal turntable or swivel mounting 3 on which a horizontally swingable frame 4 is mounted. Supported by this frame 4 is a dislodging and disintegrating mechanism generally designated 5 having an adjustable supporting structure 6 whereby the disintegrating mechanism may beadju'sted into different elevated positions with respect to the swingable frame and base. Conveyor means including front conveyors 7 yand 3 are mounted on the swingable .frame at its opposite sides and a rear discharge conveyor 9 and these con- Y veyors are employed for conveying the dislodged and mechanism for a continuous mining apparatus for dislodging and disintegrating the mineral of a solid mine vein. A further object is to provide an improved adjustable supporting structure and driving means for the dislodging and disintegrating mechanism. A still further object is to provide an improved conveying means operatively associated with the dislodging and distintegrating mechanism in an improved manner. Still another object is to provide an improvedgrot-ary conveyor arranged coaxially with the rotary dislodging and disintegrating head whereby the mineral dislodged from the mine vein may be conveyed rearwardly in a direction vgenerally axially of tl e rotary'head. Yet another object is to provide an improved cutting and dislodging head embodying a cornbined drilling and core cutting means and core breaker moans Iand having improved driving means for the comy bined drilling, core cutting and breakerV means. i A still further object is to providean improved extendible conveyor for a mining and loading machine. These and other objects and advantages of the `invention will, however, khereinafter more fully appear.

ln the accompanying drawings there is" shown for purposes of illustration one form ,which thev invention may assume in practice.

in these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view ofthe improved mining and loading machine with its rearward portion broken away.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of they machine shown in Fig. 1.

, Fig. 3 is -a'fragmentary-side view ofthe forward portion of the machine showing the dislodging and disintegrating head inY elevated `position and the conveyor extended.

' FigA- is an enlarged,` fragmentary plan view showing the :zdislodging and disintegrating head anda portion of its' drive rin horizontal section, takenuonv line 4 4 of Fig'.2.

in bearings 31 suitably supported within a fckirwar'dfp'rojevcl Y disintegrated mineral away from the working face. The conveyor t is longitudinally extendible for a purpose later to be explained. Y

Now referring to the specific structure of the machine, it will benoted that the mobile base is desirably a crawler base and has side tread frames 10 attached to the sides of the baseframe and providing guideways aboutwhichendless crawler treads 11 are guidedv for orbital circulation. Motors 12, desirably hydraulic motors, are opera-t tively connected through drive connections 13 to the' crawler treads and these motors mayl operate coni currently and separately to drive the treads to effect pro?v pulsion and steering of the machine, in a well-known manner. The base frame has a curved guideway y14 engaged by a curved guide 15 of the turntable or swivel mounting 3 whereby the frame 4 may swinghorizontally relative to the base abouta vertical axis at- 16. Power devicesl -in the form of hydraulic jacks 17 operativelyu connected at 18 to the horizontal frame 4 serve to swing' trarne is a motor 19, desirably an electric motor, for

driving a conventional pumping means 20 for supplying l liquid under pressure to the various hydraulically oper-u ated devices of the machine.

The dislodging and disintegrating'mechanism 5 is ,l

similar to that disclosed in the above mentioned BarrettV patents and, as shown in Fig. 4, includes a combined;` drilling and core cutting member 21 having peripheralV cutters 22 and face cuttersv 23, and lthismernber i`s of"` Y disklike formation having a hub 24 secured to a longitudi# j nally extending horizontal shaft 25'. This shaft Y is;Y

journaled inrear bearings 26 supported by a'rea'rwfardlL frame 27 and a front bearing 2% receiving :ausleevelikef portion of the disk hub 24. i Arranged coaxial y[withfthe member 21 is a cylindrical core breaker member29 carry-- ing breaker teeth Stifand journaled at its rearwardportion tion 32 of the rearward frame 2,7. Desirably formed integral with the rotary core breaker 29 is a rotary conveyor 33 having a spiral conveyor flight 34 for engaging the dislodged and disintegrated mineral and for convey ing the mineral engaged thereby in a rearward direction generally axially of the head mechanism when the latter is in its lowered position near the tloor level. The rearward frame 27 is pivotally connected at 35 on parallel axes to the forward ends of pairs of upper and lower, parallel-motion, supporting arms 36 and 37, and these arms are pivotally connected at 38 at their rearward ends on parallel axes to the forward portion of the swivelled frarne 4. Power devices desirably in the form of hydraulic jacks 39 are pivotally connected to the forward portion of the swivelled frame 4 and the rearward frame 27 for swinging the parallel motion arms in vertical planes about their pivots. Thus, the dislodging and disintegrating mechanism may be adjusted vertically into dierent elevated positions between the mine floor and roof. A motor 40, desirably an electric motor, is mounted on the swivelled frame 4 and has its power shaft connected through a conventional friction clutch Iil (Fig` 4) and planetary gearing d2 to spur gearing 43 which in turn drives through spur gearing 44 a conventional universal telescopic shafting 4S, the latter being operatively connected to the drive shaft 25 of the combined drilling and core cutting member 2l. A similar motor 48 likewise mounted on the swivelled frame 4 is similarly connected through a friction clutch, planetary gearing and spur gear trains to a telescopic universal shafting i9 to a shaft 50 suitably journalcd within the rearward frame portion 27. Secured to and driven by the shaft G is a spur gear 51 meshing with and driving a spur gear 52, the latter in turn secured to the rearward portion of the rotary core breaker 29. The spur gcarings 43, d4 are arranged within a gear housing 53 carried at the forward portion of the swivelled frame 4 while the spur gearing 51 and 52 is arranged within a gear housing 54 formed integral with the rearward frame 27 on which the dislodging and disintegrating head is rotatably mounted. From the foregoing it will be evident that the combined drill and core cutting head member and the core breaker means may be driven in the `same direction at relatively different speeds through the driving connections driven respectively by the motors 40 and 48 and the core breaker means revolves about the axis of the combined drill and core cutting member at a relatively slow speed, all in manners fully disclosed in the above mentioned Barrett patents.

rIhe improved conveyor means, including the conveyors 7, 8 land 9, constitute an improvement over the conveyor means of my copending applications, Serial No. 614,977, led October 9, 1956, and Serial No. 673,470, tiled .luly 22, 1957. The conveyors 7 and 8 have suitable cantilevered supports at the opposite sides of the swivelled frame 4 and include open-center framesl surrounding the motors 40 and 48 (Figs. 4 and 5).

The conveyor 7 comprises a frame 55 having an open center 57 in which the motor 40 is arranged (Fig. 5), and this conveyor frame basan elevated horizontal rearward portion 58, a forwardly and downwardly inclined intermediate portion 59 and horizontal forward portion 60, and formed about the margin of this frame is a guideway 61 along which an endless flight conveyor chain 62 is guided for orbital circulation, This conveyor chain haslateral conveyor flights 63 and is driven from the rearward end of the shaft of the motor 4t) through worm gearing 64, vertical shaft 65 and a chain sprocket 66 which engages and drives the conveyor chain. The opposite front conveyor 8 has a frame 63 similar in construction to the frame S6 of the conveyor 7, but in this instance being relatively elongated and having an elongated open center 69 surrounding the motor 48 whereby the conveyor frame may be extended longitudinally with respect to the motor to advance the forward receiving portion thereof, as will later be explained. The shaft of the motor 48 drives through a telescopic shaft 70 worm gearing 71 which in turn drives a vertical shaft 72 connected to a sprocket 73 which engages the conveyor chain 74, the latter being guided for orbital circulation along the frame guideway 75, in a manner similar to the opposite rigid conveyor 7. A power device desirably in the form of a hydraulic jack 76 is located within the recess 77 within the forward portion of the conveyor frame 68 to extend and retract the conveyor 8 and vary the longitudinal position of the forward receiving portion of the conveyor, As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the opposite ends of the hydraulic jack 76 are pivotally connected to a bracket 83 and to the forward portion of conveyor 8 by the pins 184 and 185, respectively. The bracket 83 is rigidly secured to the forward underside of gear housing 53. Like the conveyor 7, the extendible conveyor 8 has a horizontal rearward portion 78, a forwardly and down wardly inclined intermediate portion 79 and a horizontal forwardV portion 80 and the like chain of conveyor 7 is provided with lateral flights. As Shown in Fig. 5, thc adjacent longitudinal portions of the conveyors extend in parallelism near the longitudinal median line of the swivelled frame and head mechanism and engage the material to be conveyed on the mine tloor and move the material rearwardly and upwardly along inclined bottom plates 81 for discharge into a hopperlike portion 82 near the center of the turntable frame. The material received within this hopperlike portion is engaged and moved rearwardly by the rear discharge conveyor 9, the latter moving the material rearwardly of the machine for delivery at a conveniently located position.

The motor 48 has lateral guideways 84 engaging lateral longitudinally extending guides 85 at the sides of the frame of the extendible conveyor 8, as shown in Figs. 5 and 7, and the hydraulic jacks 76 serve to move the conveyor frame longitudinally back and forth along these guides.

The mode of operation of the improved mining and loading machine is as follows. The machine may be trammed about the mine by the endless treads of the crawler base driven by the motors 12 and by appropriate control of these motors the treads may effect both propulsion and steering of the machine. When the machine is properly located with respect to the working face of the mine vein the swivelled frame 4 may be swung laterally by proper operation of the hydraulic jacks 17 to locate the dislodging and disintegrating head mechanism 5 at the face near the left hand rib. The lift jacks 39 may then be operated to lower the head mechanism 5 from its tramming position shown in Fig. 3 to the position indicated at the floor level, as shown in Fig. 2. The machine may then be advanced by the crawler treads to sump the dislodging and disintegrating head mechanism 5 into the mine vein at the iloor level near the left hand rib, to the positon indicated at A in Figs. 9 and 13. The swing jacks 17 may then be properly operated to swing the head mechanism 5 from left to right across the face to the position indicated at B in Figs. 10 and 14, and at the completion of the horizontal bottom cut the lift jacks 39 may be operated to move the head mechanism 5 upwardly in a vertical direction `at the right hand rib to the position indicated at B in Fig. 11. The swing jacks may then be operated to swing the head mechanism 5 horizontally from right to left at the roof level toward the left hand n'b, as shown in Figs. l1 and 15. When the top horizontal cut is completed the head mechanism 5 may be lowered vertically by the lift jacks 39 back to the floor level at the left hand rib and the machine may again be advanced by crawler treads to sump the head mechanism into the mine vein, the operations above described being repeated Ito make the advance cuts. During the mining operation the combined drilling and core cutting head, as disclosed in the Barrett patents above referred to, cuts a kerf or slot K inside the face of the vein to form a core C of coal and the core is broken away by the teeth of the c'ore breaker 29. The dislodged andrdisintegrated mineral, when themachine isoperating'to make its bottom cut, is engaged by the rotary spiral conveyor 33 and moved rearwardly toward the .forward receiving portions of the front conveyors 7 and 8, and the mineral is conveyed rearwardly of the machine to the hoppe'rlike portion 82 where it is engaged and received by the rear discharge conveyor 9. When the head mechanism 5 reaches the position shown at B' in Fig. 11 and starts to move laterally from right to left the hydraulic jack 76 may be operated to advance the extendible conveyor 8 to bring its forward receiving portion into the bottom cut at the trailing side or rearwardly of the head mechanism, as shown in Fig. 15. The advanced position of the extendible conveyor 8 with respect to the head mechanism at that time is shown in Fig. 3. As the head mechanism effects its cut from right -to left near the roof level the cut and dislodged mineral falls to the mine oor where it is engaged by the extended trailing conveyor 8 and is gathered thereby and moved rearwardly of the machine. During the cut from left to right as viewed in Figs. 9, 10, 13 and 14, the extensible conveyor 8 is in its retracted position as shown in Fig. 2.

The pairs of parallel-motion arms 36 and 37 as the head mechanism is raised and lowered by the lift jacks 39 serve to maintain the head mechanism in a horizontal positon with its axis of rotation always parallel to a common straight line and the universal telescopic drive shafts 45 and 49 between the motors 40 and 48 and the combined drilling and core cutting means and the core breaker means maintain theA drive irrespective of the vertically adjusted position of the head mechanism. The telescopic drive shafting 70 between the motor 48 and the eXtendible conveyor 8 also serves to maintain the drive between the motor and the conveyor in all of the extended positions of the latter.

As a result of this invention an improved mining and loading machine is provided whereby the mineral of a solid mine vein may be eiciently dislodged and loaded out. By the provision of the adjustable dislodging and disintegrating head mechanism and its driving means the head mechanism may be adjusted to eifect parallel superimposed cuts across the face and the improved conveying means eieotively removes the mineral as it is dislodged and disintegrated rearwardly away from the face. By the provision of the rotary conveyor coaxial with the head mechanism and the extendible trailing conveyor the dislodged mineral may be effectively removed as it is dis lodged from the mine vein. By extending the trailing conveyor into the bottom cut during the making of the upper cut an extremely eiiicient conveying or floor clean-up action is attained. The machine, due to its novel design and construction, is not only relatively low in height, well adapted to use in low vein mines, but is also extremely compact and durable, well adapted to meet the demands of service. These and other advantagees of the invention will be clearly apparent to ythose skilled in the art.

While there is in this application specically described one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing fromv its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A mining and loading machine comprising, in combination, a mob-ile base, a horizontal frame carried by said base, a pivotal mounting for said frame on said base whereby said frame may swing horizontally relative to said base, a dislodging and disintegrating mechanism carried at the outer portion of said swingable frame for dislodging and disintegrating the mineral of a solid mine vein, and conveyors mounted at the opposite sides of said swingable frame and having forward receiving portions disposed Vat the iloor level, means for mounting one of said conveyors rigidly on said frame, and means Ifor mounting said other conveyor on said frame for guided movement longitudinally relative thereto, said f conveyors each including a conveyor frarne havingA a guideway about its margin and an endless conveyor element guided for orbital circulation along said guideway, each conveyor element having flights operating at the floor level at the forward receiving portion of the conveyor.

2. A combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein each conveyor` frame has an open center in which a conveyor driving motor Vis arranged, said motor being surrounded by its associated conveyor element.

3. A mining and loading machine comprisinga mobile base, ahorizontal frame carried by said base, a pivotal mounting for said frame on said base whereby said frame mayY swing horizontally relative to said base, a dislodging and disintegrating mechanism carried at the outer portion of said swingable yframe for dislodgingV and disintegrating the mineral of a solid mine vein, and conveyors mounted at the opposite sides of said swingable frame and having forward receiving portions disposed at the lloor level, means for mounting one of said conveyors rigidly on said frame, and means for mounting said other conveyor on said frame for guided movement longitudinally relative thereto, said conveyors each including a conveyor frame having a guideway about its margin and an endless conveyor element guided for orbital circulation along said guideway, each conveyor element having ilights operating at the lloor level at the forward receiving portion of the conveyor, each con-k veyor frame having an open center in which a conveyor driving motor is arranged, said motor being surrounded by its associated conveyor element, the open center of said longitudinally movable conveyor being elongated whereby its driving motor may remain stationary as the conveyor is moved, and a self-adjusting drive connection provided between said motor and its associated endless conveyor element whereby the longitudinal movable conveyor may be driven in all of its longitudinal positions into which it may be moved.

4. A mining and loading machine comprising, in combination, a mobile base, a horizontal frame carried by said base, a pivotal mounting for said frame on said base whereby said frame may swing horizontally relative to said base, a dislodging and disintegrating mechanism carried at the outer portion of said swingable frame for dislodging and disintegrating the mineral of a solid mine vein, Vand conveyors mounted at the opposite sides of said swingable frame and having forward receiving portions disposed at the oor level, means for mounting one of said conveyors rigidly on said frame, and means lfor mounting said other conveyor on said frame for f guided movement longitudinally relative thereto, said conveyors each including a conveyor frame having a guideway about its margin and an endless conveyor element guided for orbital circulation along said guideway, each conveyor element having flights operating at the iloor level at the forward receiving portion of the conveyor, each conveyor frame having an open center in which a conveyor driving motor is arranged, said motor being surrounded by its associated conveyor element, the open center of said longitudinally movable conveyor being elongated whereby its driving motor may remain stationary as the conveyor is moved, a self-adjustingdrive connection provided between said last mentioned motor and its associated endless conveyor element wherebyV the longitudinal movable conveyor may be driven in all of its longitud-inal positions into which it may be moved, and a self-adjusting driving-connection provided between said last mentioned motor and said dislodging and disintegrating mechanism.

5. A mining machine comprising a base, a yframe swingably mounted on said base, a dislodging and disintegrating mechanism adjustably supported on said swingable frame, a first conveyor mounted on one side of said swingable frame adapted to convey dislodged material rearwardly of said disintegrating mechanism, a second conveyor extendibly mounted on the other side of said swingable frame adapted to be extended and retracted longitudinally to remove dislodged material while said dislodging and disintegrating mechanism is operating.

6. A combination as set forth in claim 5 wherein each conveyor has driving power means for moving said conveyors, and extendible connecting means between said second conveyor and said power means to permit the longitudinal extension of the second conveyor while operating the dislodging and disintegrating mechanism and conveying means simultaneously.

7. A combination as set forth in claim 5 wherein each of said conveyors has an open center in which a conveyor driving motor is mounted, said second extendible conveyor having a self-adjusting drive connection between said motor and said extendible conveyor.

References `Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,529,628 Legrand Mar. l0, 1925 1,660,083 Morgan Feb. 2l, 1928 2,654,586 Berry Oct. 6, 1953 2,689,719 Baldwin Sept. 21, 1954 2,776,809 Barrett `Tan. 8, 1957 2,776,823 Barrett Ian. 8, 1957 2,788,201 Lindgren et al. Apr. 5, 1957 2,798,706 Silver July 9, 1957 2,801,091 Jay July 30, 1957 2,836,408 Barrett May 27, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 177,813 Great Britain Apr. 13, 1922 933,683 Germany Sept. 29, 1955 

